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Purchasing Managers

Purchasing Managers is the O*NET name for people who plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services. The skills rated most useful are speaking, management of personnel resources, and active listening. One core duty is to develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures. On the six-type interest model it reads ECS, meaning leading, persuading and making business decisions comes first, followed by orderly work with data, records and clear procedures. Getting in usually takes a bachelor’s degree plus a period of work experience, a level O*NET calls considerable preparation. If you want leading, persuading and making business decisions, keep it on your list. If you need creative work with room for original expression, it may feel thin.

What they do

Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services. Includes wholesale or retail trade merchandising managers and procurement managers.

Main tasks

  • Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
  • Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
  • Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.
  • Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
  • Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
  • Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.

Skills

  • Speaking
  • Management of Personnel Resources
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Time Management
  • Social Perceptiveness

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like taking the lead and making the call.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You are ready to spend around four years on a degree, then build experience.
  • You are comfortable relying on speaking and management of personnel resources.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather not persuade, sell or manage other people.
  • You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.2 out of 7 here.
  • You want to avoid a four-year degree or its equivalent.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code ECS takes the three highest, and Enterprising comes first here.

Preparation

Considerable preparation. Most jobs here ask for a bachelor’s degree, and employers usually expect a few years of related experience as well.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Category Purchasing Manager
  • Commodity Manager
  • Materials Director
  • Materials Manager
  • Procurement Director

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.